Television series
Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule
- Comedy
- Light-hearted
- Dip in and out
A deadpan mockumentary where a clueless doctor stumbles through the world, conducting baffling interviews and experiments with perfect sincerity. Each 12-minute episode is absurdist comedy built on cringe, awkwardness, and the beautiful wrongness of one man's unshakeable confidence. For viewers who love anti-humour and uncomfortable brilliance.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you find the awkward, sincere silliness of a man who takes every bit of nonsense completely seriously, and short, self-contained street interviews that let the joke breathe.
Skip it if you want a story with momentum, since this is a loose run of bits built around one oddball host who rarely lets the sketch go anywhere conventional.
What it asks of you: Episodes run about twelve minutes, a quick sitting, but the jokes need you to stay with a host who holds the same earnest tone through every awkward beat.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!2007
The spiritual ancestor of Brule's universe—sketch comedy built on prolonged awkwardness, cheap production value as a feature, and the courage to let jokes breathe into genuine discomfort.
But It's deliberately ugly and chaotic. If you need clear setups and punchlines, this will feel like a waste of bandwidth.
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson2019
Sketch series where every premise spirals into increasingly absurd territory, fuelled by commitment to uncomfortable situations and characters who never break or acknowledge the insanity.
But Heavy reliance on the viewer's willingness to sit with secondhand embarrassment for extended periods. Not designed for comfort.
The Eric Andre Show2012
Late-night talk show demolished from within—surreal non-sequiturs, celebrity guests treated as props in chaos, the same deadpan commitment to wrongness that makes Brule tick.
But No narrative structure at all. If you're watching to learn something or feel satisfied by resolution, you're hunting in the wrong place.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Check It Out! with Dr. Steve Brule
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Monty Python's Flying Circus1969
Both use deadpan delivery and physical awkwardness as the core engine; both treat the absurd as completely normal; both are willing to abandon jokes mid-stride if something weirder emerges.
The granddaddy of sketch absurdism where non-sequiturs, commitment to premise, and refusal to explain jokes became the entire point. Brule is the American descendant of this lineage.
But It's nearly 50 years old and relies on British references. Some sketches overstay their welcome, and the pacing feels gentler than modern comedy.
More like this (8)
Aqua Teen Hunger Force2000
Absurdist comedy about dumb characters in a mundane setting. Deadpan dialogue, weird non-sequiturs, and episodes that meander without obvious jokes. Same irreverent Adult Swim DNA.
But Very long run with uneven quality. Some episodes feel like filler, and the humour can be too niche even for cult-comedy fans.
Nathan for You2013
A socially awkward entrepreneur offers terrible business advice to real companies. Comedy emerges from commitment to the bit and watching people navigate absurdity masquerading as help.
But Relies heavily on cringe and social discomfort. Some storylines drag, and the synthetic stakes can feel manipulative if you're rooting for the businesses involved.
Frisky Dingo2006
Adult Swim's proto-absurdist comedy about nothing in particular—non-sequiturs, recurring character bits, no story arc. Anarchic and deliberately silly in ways that feel closest to Brule's chaos.
But Even more shapeless than Brule, with jokes that land sporadically. It's very much a cult thing, and the affection has to come first.
Pee-Wee's Playhouse1986
A deranged adult in a childlike world, treating absurdity as utterly normal. The template for deadpan surrealism and the earnest delivery of ridiculous concepts.
But Pitched at children aesthetically, which creates a tonal vertigo some find alienating. It's weird in ways that require patience and goodwill.
Too Many Cooks2014
An 11-minute Adult Swim short that deconstructs sitcom tropes into something unsettling and brilliant. The same commitment to form subversion and unease.
But It's very short and deliberately disorienting. If you're looking for traditional narrative satisfaction, this deliberately withholds it.
Space Ghost Coast to Coast1994
An absurdist talk show where a cartoon space hero conducts bewildering interviews. Pioneered the Adult Swim aesthetic of low-effort production and anti-comedy.
But Very dated animation and genuinely slow pacing. If you're not invested in the format deconstruction itself, there's not much underneath.
Parks and Recreation2009
Both are mockumentaries built on a central character whose obliviousness is the actual content. The structural DNA is identical; only the emotional temperature differs.
A mockumentary where a well-meaning but delusional character bumbles through earnest situations. Leslie Knope's unshakeable confidence mirrors Brule's, but in a warm register instead of a cold one.
But Deeply conventional and sentimental underneath. If you love Brule's discomfort and refusal to reward the protagonist, this is basically the opposite.
Kappa Mikey2006
Both treat production poverty as a stylistic choice rather than a limitation; both use fish-out-of-water situations to generate surreal comedy; both are wildly unconcerned with conventional likability.
An American anime about a dopey actor in a Japanese game show, animated cheaply with jarring cultural clashes and nonsense humour. It's almost as committed to ugly production and absurdism as Brule.
But Truly bizarre and crude in ways that feel dated now. Very few people have heard of it, and it requires affection for its specific brand of chaotic weirdness.
Recommended by
The Eric Andre Show, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!, The Heart, She Holler, Eagleheart, Beef House